Midco bringing internet up to ten times faster to the Black Hills

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - As more technology-based jobs move to the Black Hills area, so does the need for infrastructure to support them. Monday Midco announced they will be connecting Rapid City, Box Elder, and Spearfish with an improved fiber optic network.

Up until now the fastest internet service a person in Spearfish, Box Elder, or Rapid City could get was gigabit speed, or 1g for short. By 2025 however, people and businesses will have the option for a higher speed. Midco is calling this upgrade 10g, short for ten gigabits a second, this speed will be ten times faster than anything previously offered in the area. Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun says the upgrade is essential for larger companies to do work in the area.

“In order for these possibilities to happen you have to have the right infrastructure in place, and broadband is an important part of that because when we are looking at the kind of jobs in the future that require high-speed internet. It’s gonna require something like the investment here, 10g I can’t even wrap my head around it,” said Mayor Salamun.

Salamun said he’s seen an increase in businesses looking to expand into Rapid City, businesses that may not have considered the area previously. He claims that’s because of infrastructure upgrades.

Senator John Thune echoed Salamun’s sentiment saying this investment creates opportunities for a wider range of businesses.

“Well, it’s enormously important any business these days is very technology dependent so these types of investments where you get this kind of speed I mean 10 gigabits of speed is really high-speed service and it opens up so many opportunities,” said Senator Thune.

Those interested in upgrading their speed won’t have too wait too long, Midco plans to have these upgrades done by 2025.

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